dangling modifier

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

Examples
Being over two hundred years old, I had difficulty reading the document. (it is the document that is old, not the reader) I know a man with a wooden leg called Smith. (Smith is the man, not the leg) A hangover often occurs after drinking too much. The hangover isn't drinking too much. Rather, a hangover often occurs after someone drinks too much.

dangling modifier (plural dangling modifiers)

1. (grammar) A word or clause that qualifies another word or clause ambiguously, possibly causing confusion with regard to the intended meaning.

   Hyponym: dangling participle

   • 2004, Wynford Hicks, Quite Literally: Problem Words and how to Use Them, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 45:

     The dangling modifier is a curse of modern writing, particularly obituaries.

Translations

word or clause

Chinese: Mandarin: 懸垂修飾語 / 悬垂修饰语 Swedish: syftningsfel n

Further reading

• dangling modifier on Wikipedia.Wikipedia